'Giving Tuesday': 5 Ways Your Company Can Participate

Move over "Movember," hello "Giving Tuesday." The spirit of generosity is in full swing -- just with less stubble. That's right, the second annual #GivingTuesday is today.

For those of you who can't keep your hashtag events straight, #GT is a movement to create a national day of giving to kick off the season of charity. It falls on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The general idea is to balance your "getting" with "giving."

To make the most of your company's #GivingTuesday, keep these tips in mind:

Coordinate your company's participation in #GT. Find out if your company will get into the spirit of charitable giving and match #GivingTuesday contributions made by employees. On some sites, you'll see a list of participating employers, created by a company called Double the Donation. Even if your company missed the boat to become a registered participant, it can still honor the idea by creating its own donation-matching offer.

Donate time instead of money. If your company is financially strapped, another option is to donate time instead of money. Discuss opportunities to volunteer at a local soup kitchen or deliver meals as part of a company outing.

Provide paid time off to volunteer. To put your company's (heart-of-gold) money where its mouth is, offer paid time off to volunteer. It's pretty standard for companies to annually offer two days as designated "volunteering" days.

Provide pro bono legal services. Even though you're in-house counsel, you can still put your legal expertise to good use this #GivingTuesday by volunteering with a legal aid organization.

As Winston Churchill said, "We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give." Happy #GivingTuesday!